World Golf Tour

Team Nelson Leads at FatherSon Challenge

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Paradise Island, Bahamas (Sports Network) - Larry Nelson and his son Drew combined for a 13-under 59 on Saturday to take a two-shot lead after the first day of the Father/Son Challenge. The Nelsons had 11 birdies and an eagle on Saturday and sit two ahead of Dave and Ron Stockton and Hubert and Myatt Green.

The Father/Son Challenge is a two-day event and combines members of the Senior or PGA Tour with their sons. Play is contested in a scramble format where both players hit from the same location after teeing off. The team takes the best positioning and shortest putts.

The Nelsons started with seven birdies in as many holes. At the first, Drew hit a wedge six feet from the hole, where he rolled home the birdie putt. At the next hole, it was father Larry playing the wedge shot inside of 10 feet, but Drew knocked in the putt for birdie.

Drew converted the birdie putts from holes 3-6. No putt was longer than 10 feet. At seven, Drew played a wedge on to the green where Larry rolled home the 12-footer for birdie.

The duo combined for a 7-under-par 29 on the front.

The back nine started well for the Nelsons as Drew holed an eight-footer for birdie at the 11th. At the par-5 13th, Drew hit a six-iron 15 feet from the cup. Larry sank the putt to get to 10-under.

Larry hit a four-iron at the next hole, a 194-yard par-three. His ball landed five feet from the hole where son Drew holed the putt. The 15th belonged to dad as he hit wedge to four feet and then drilled the putt to move to minus-12. The pair added a birdie at 18 when Drew made a 15-footer.

'It's good to see Drew playing well,' said Nelson, a six-time winner on this year's Senior Tour. 'It certainly adds to whatever I can do.'

The Stocktons collected two birdies in their first three holes, with Ron tapping-in after Dave played an eight-iron inside of two feet at the second.

The team added a birdie at number-six when Ron two-putted from 25 feet. At the seventh, Ron holed another birdie putt, this time from 12 feet. The Stocktons added a birdie at nine to go out at 5-under 31.

The Stocktons tallied six birdies on the back side. All putts were closer than 20 feet from the hole.

'We have room for improvement,' said the elder Stockton. 'I am looking forward to tomorrow. We will be a factor tomorrow.'

The Greens scored birdies at three and four after a pair of 15- footers. The tandem added birdies at six and seven after Myatt played wedge-shots to four feet and one foot, respectively.

The duo had five birdies and an eagle on the back nine. Hubert made all of the putts on those holes, including an 18-footer for eagle at the par-5 13th.

'Myatt drove the ball great,' said Hubert, who along with Myatt finished 11 shots out of the lead in last year's event. 'He really carried me a little bit. It was fun.'

Jerry and Wesley Pate join last year's runner-ups, Ray and Robert Floyd, in a tie for fourth. The pair is knotted at 10-under 62.

Bob and David Charles, winners of this event in 1998, shot a nine-under 63 on Saturday and are tied with Johnny and Scott Miller and Craig and Kevin Stadler.

The Nicklaus family, Jack and Jack II, are tied with Lee and Rick Trevino and Tom and Michael Watson for ninth at 8-under 64.

Hale and Steve Irwin carded a 7-under 65 at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Saturday. That mark is good for a tie for 12th with Gary and Wayne Player and Tom and David Kite.

Billy and Bobby Casper posted a 5-under 67 while Tom and Eric Weiskopf round out the teams with a 4-under 68.